The three suspects in a 1991 murder case who spent 12 years behind bars have had difficulty assimilating into society since being released in 2003, fighting the stigma of incarceration as their case drags on.
The trio was suspected in the March 24, 1991 robbery and murder of Wu Min-han (吳銘漢) and his wife, Yeh Ying-lan (葉盈蘭), who were found dead in their apartment. They had been stabbed 79 times.
In the latest twist, the Taiwan High Court ruled yesterday that Su Chien-ho (蘇建和), Liu Bin-lang (劉秉郎) and Chuang Lin-hsun (莊林勳) — better known as the “Hsichih Trio” — were not guilty of the March 1991 murder of a couple living in the Taipei suburb of Sijhih (汐止).
The ruling reversed death sentences given to the three by the high court in June 2007 on charges of robbery and premeditated murder.
All three of the men were incarcerated in 1991 at the age of 19 and remained in jail until 2003, eight of those years spent on death row.
Chuang, who has suffered from depression over the past decade, has rarely left his home over the past seven years.
To him, the case dealt the three men an irreversible injustice unimaginable to most people.
“I remain a social pariah,” he said.
Liu, meanwhile, said he managed to go to college after being freed and received a diploma in tourism and hospitality last year.
Since graduating, however, he has been unable to find a job, despite making it through the test and interview process at three different companies.
LEGAL DILEMMA
In every case, he said, he was told by the companies just a day or two before starting the job not to show up.
The second company told him directly that they were retracting their offer because of Liu’s legal situation.
“I don’t think society should treat ex-inmates that way,” he said.
Su, who has found a job at a human rights group after being released in 2003, has had the least difficulty of the three coping with society.
He attributed his relatively quick and easy assimilation to his work, which provides constant opportunities for him to learn how to better interact with others.
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